This invention relates to a device for holding a roller or caster at the bottom of a container or receptacle. More particularly, the device is a caster pad in the form of (1) a plate with its edges bent at right angles to its central portion which is attached to the bottom of the container, and (2) a bolt-like member which cooperates with the edges of the plate to hold firmly a replaceable roller or caster assembly.
Caster pads are used under bins and receptacles of various types, e.g., trash containers employed by hospitals and supermarkets. Illustrative of prior proposals for caster pads is U.S. Pat. No. 3,667,085 to Cumella et al and U.S. Pat. No. 4,227,281 to Chung et al. The caster pad involves the double bending of one edge to form a shelf below the pad for the support of one edge of a replaceable caster unit while a special bolt passes through two bent-down edges of the pad to capture the edge of the caster unit opposite the edge resting on the shelf. Chung et al eliminate the special bolt of Cumella et al but the caster pad now requires two opposed edges to be doubly bent to form shelves. A U-shaped spring has its two legs inserted into the two shelves of the caster pad to retain a caster unit against the caster pad. Otherwise, Chung et al propose a caster pad with a single shelf-like edge but in this design two bolts are required but these are prone to bending and other damage during rough usage of the container to which the caster pad is attached.
A principal object of this invention is to provide an improved caster pad that is easy to produce and resistant to damage.
A further important object is to reduce the cost of manufacturing the caster pad by minimizing the amount of metal required to form the pad and by employing simple production procedures.
Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description which follows.